The transformative potential of counter accounts: a case study of animal rights activism

Abstract

This paper analyses the dynamics and transformative potential associated with counter accounts. It explores how counter-accountants' attempts to rearticulate animal production result in their own identity becoming constructed during the conflict setting and how this identity subsequently relates to the transformative potential of the counter accounts. Design/methodology/approach: The paper investigates counter accounts released during an animal rights activists' campaign against industrial meat and dairy production in Finland. The counter accounts, consisting of secretly filmed videos from pig farms, contrasted the official depiction of animal farming and received wide publicity over several years. The main empirical dataset consists of 21 interviews with a variety of parties that have a stake in the conflict. This dataset is supplemented with a broad set of published documentary material. Findings: The authors find that the counter accounts managed, to some extent, to rearticulate the meaning of animal production, potentially resulting in the emergence of small-scale societal effects. When trying to undermine the counter-accountants' radical political demand, the dominant social groups not only dismissed the counter accounts but also attempted to constitute the counter-accountants' identity as irresponsible, militant and negligent, drawing a firm political boundary between 'them' and 'us'. Likewise, the counteraccountants seemed reluctant to communicate with representatives of the dominant regime, resulting in an antagonistic as opposed to an agonistic relationship between the two political groups. The paper also discusses ethical questions concerning the production of counter accounts, the importance of having a clearly articulated political vision, and the challenges related to evaluating whether the counter accounts have been successful. Originality/value: The paper provides insights into the design, use and reception of counter accounts in a real-life social setting, thus providing a direct response to a recent call by Thomson, Dey and Russell (2015). The paper illustrates the usefulness of the conceptual dynamic conflict arena framework presented by Thomson and colleagues (2015), and makes use of discourse theory (Laclau and Mouffe, 1985; Laclau, 2005, 2001, 1996) to highlight how in exploring the transformative potential of counter accounts it is necessary to also consider how the identity of the counter-accountants becomes constructed and understood. Furthermore, the paper also seeks to advance the connections between accounting research and significant global problems by investigating an ethically and environmentally disputed industry, and by engaging with the interrelationships between accounts and accountability in the context of socio-ecological change.

Accounts of nature and the nature of accounts

“…The speech would likely qualify and be quoted in a detailed case study of social movements (e.g. Laine and Vinnari, 2017;Thomson et al, 2015). Both were created in 2010 and are visible today: the cairn comprises river stones and stands in the City's square; the speech is accessible via the campaign's website for those that wish to look.…”

“…For Laine and Vinnari (2017) and Lanka et al (2017), these accounts are central to their analysis of food production and associated social movements.…”

“…They argue that the properties of fractal representations may be seen to embody emotional and sensual elements, which in turn may help to foster values of harmony and humility as well as a deeper ethic of care and resilience. Laine and Vinnari (2017) examine Finnish activists' unauthorised, covert filming of the conditions in which pigs and chickens were being kept as visual counter accounts drawing on a longitudinal case study. The authors extend Thomson et al's (2015) dynamic conflict arena framework by integrating it with concepts from Laclau and Mouffe's (1985) work on discourse theory.…”

“…In Dey and Russell (2014), for example, the arena is formed around the River Garry in Scotland. And in Laine and Vinnari (2017) in this special issue, the accounting entity becomes animals (pigs specifically) farmed for meat consumption, and the 'accounts' become digital film recordings by activists with an attendant focus on the moral concern of animal welfare [21]. Laine and Vinnari (2017) argue that the discursive role of counter accounts involves not only the definition and construction of meaning but also of that of identity, which is inextricably linked to processes of representation and perception, and therefore highly relevant to the dynamics and the outcome of discursive struggles.…”

“…And in Laine and Vinnari (2017) in this special issue, the accounting entity becomes animals (pigs specifically) farmed for meat consumption, and the 'accounts' become digital film recordings by activists with an attendant focus on the moral concern of animal welfare [21]. Laine and Vinnari (2017) argue that the discursive role of counter accounts involves not only the definition and construction of meaning but also of that of identity, which is inextricably linked to processes of representation and perception, and therefore highly relevant to the dynamics and the outcome of discursive struggles. They illustrate that the way in which the animal rights campaigners' identity came to be defined can be seen as an example of what Laclau and Mouffe (1985) term 'radical negativity', in which meaning is constructed only by association with attributes that are absent.…”